Richard Bordeaux Parker

Richard Bordeaux Parker (born July 3, 1923, in the Philippines) was a career United States diplomat and now is an expert on the Middle East.

Parker was raised in Vermont and Texas and attended Kansas State University, graduating in 1943. After college, Parker served as an infantry soldier during World War II, where he was captured by the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge and briefly imprisoned. After the war, he returned to Kansas State, where he earned a master's degree, before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1949.

Parker served as deputy chief of mission in Rabat from 1970 to 1974. He was ambassador to Algeria from 1974 to 1977, to Lebanon in 1977, and finally to Morocco from 1978 to 1979. He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1981 and became the editor of "The Middle East Journal". In addition to his diplomatic career, Parker taught at the University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, and Lawrence University. He also served as the first president of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training from 1986-1989.

In 1982, Parker participated in a study group held at the Council on Foreign Relations where he discussed current problems in North Africa. After these meetings Parker spent two years compiling and writing "North Africa: Regional Tensions and Strategic Concerns". His book was published in relation with and through the Council on Foreign Relations.

In June 2004, Parker received the American Foreign Service Association's lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy award.

Published books

* "A Practical Guide to Islamic Monuments in Cairo", 1974
* "A Practical Guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco", 1981
* "North Africa: Regional Tensions and Strategic Concerns", (ISBN 0-275-92773-3, 1987) ("revised and updated version")
* "The Politics of Miscalculation in the Middle East", (ISBN 0-2532-0781-9, 1993)
* "The Six-Day War: A Retrospective", (ISBN 0-8130-1383-6, 1996)
* "The October War", (ISBN 0-8130-1853-6, 2001)
* "Uncle Sam in Barbary: A Diplomatic History", (ISBN 0-8130-2696-2, 2004)